I have taken up a new project. It's called Lumosity and you've probably seen or heard it advertised. Lumosity presents a number of brain games--just for you--in its efforts to help you become smarter, brighter, and less likely to leave your leftovers box on the table when you exit the restaurant. I signed up in April for the free version--slightly less detailed analysis and my "adaptive training algorithms" are probably less personalized--but I've been a daily participant ever since. I can actually feel my brain growing with new and fresh neurons as synapses are grabbing hold of their proper synapses partners and reveling in their neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity! It makes you feel GOOD when it's working!
Along with 35 or 25 or 40 million other members (depending on which part of the web-site you're reading) I am a small cog in the gigantic Human Cognition Project--or, I hope I am. I'd like to believe that. Actually, I'm rather counting on it.
As I begin today's session, feeding slippery, constantly swimming Koi in their little pond, I'm sure each mouse click is being recorded somewhere for analysis. Today I fed 32 Koi out of 35, which means I tried to feed three of them twice. That is not a good thing and Lumosity deducts points for feeding a Koi twice. They are demonstrating that I'm probably missing a neuron or two as I lose track of three little fish or, as I prefer to believe, my peripheral vision simply stinks.
In my second game, I'm finding myself looking at a group of five ducks flying in tight formation, heading either North, South, East or West. My job, should I choose to accept it, is to indicate which direction the center duck is flying by pushing the appropriate arrow key. Be aware that the center duck, in contrast to my understanding of proper duck formation rules, may or may not be flying in a totally different direction from the other four ducks. He has his own GPS system. Also, be aware, speed counts. The faster you push those arrow keys, the more points you will rack up--assuming, of course, your choices are correct. I'm OK with the ducks.
Finally, this morning, my session ended with the damned Pin Ball Machine. When I began working with Lumosity in April, I was quite taken with my Pin Ball skills. I, quickly and accurately, determined which way the flapper thing would send the ball and I was point for point on target. It was a great day! I was a proud lady. Then, as the weeks passed and the damned Pin Ball Board grew in physical size, increased the number of flapper things, and shortened dramatically the flash of time given to memorize the placement and direction of the flappers, it began to eat my lunch session after session. It ate my lunch again this morning. My Pin Ball BPI (Brain Performance Index) was five points lower than after my last Pin Ball episode. I didn't produce the number of points to even qualify for one of my top five performances although I received one extra point (something of a back-handed compliment) simply for having the tenacity to finish the game.
When the session ended and I clicked to the final standings, much to my surprise, my overall BPI (did I mention, that means Brain Performance Index) had increased slightly over yesterday's number. Lumosity does not do that to make you feel good. I went two weeks with a consistently decreasing BPI last month, but I kept on keeping on, and finally broke out of my slump. I do love Lumosity and believe my brain is functioning better because of it! Or, as BC is fond of saying, "I'll always think it should be." Lumosity must offer a hundred different games, so each day is a surprise. I have my favorites as well as those I hate. However, I try equally hard on all of them and I would tell you what my BPI is, except it's higher than BC's and I don't want to make him feel badly, because he is a sweetie. He's played a shorter length of time than I have but, frankly, God help him if he pulls ahead...
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